Evaluation of an intervention to increase seat belt use

People continue to travel without wearing seat belts despite their proven safety value. Numerous interventions in primary care physicians' offices to enhance the use of seat belts have met with limited success. In a rural neighborhood health center, an intervention using the language of self-responsibility was evaluated. Of 105 patients receiving the intervention, seat belt use increased from 20% before to 35.2% after the intervention (P less than .001). No change in seat belt use occurred in a control group of patients who did not receive the intervention.